


A Christmas Carol and other Carter Grant Schemes

by gertiemcfuzz



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-25
Updated: 2017-12-25
Packaged: 2019-02-19 22:21:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,009
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13133418
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gertiemcfuzz/pseuds/gertiemcfuzz
Summary: Secret Santa Prompt: Kara agrees to help Carter's school production of The Nutcracker or A Christmas Carol, which leads to spending lots of time at Cat's home helping Carter. Pre-relationship





	A Christmas Carol and other Carter Grant Schemes

**Author's Note:**

  * For [nocorkingfee](https://archiveofourown.org/users/nocorkingfee/gifts).



Cat rounded the corner, coming back into the dining room from to see that Carter and Kara were almost exactly as she had left them when she’d gone to change into her longue clothes, their heads bent, blond curls bobbing as they spoke softly to each other, something about color theory and mood.

Cat smiled, and let them be, turning into the living room instead to see if her slippers were still where she’d kicked them off that morning. She found one under the coffee table, the other wedged between the sofa and the side table, she went after that one first, hearing footsteps behind her as she slipped it on and righted herself.

“We’re calling it a night.” Kara said, with an easy smile, bending without hesitation to retrieve Cat’s other slipper from under table.

“Ah, my prince has finally come.” Cat deadpanned as Kara set it in front of her to slip on.

The tips of Kara’s ears turned red, but she played along, “Whatever will you do now that you’ve been liberated, Cinderella?”

“Apparently, clean-up after the prince.” Cat said, gesturing into the dining room where Carter and Kara’s art supplies were still strewn across the table.

“Carter!” Kara hollered down the hallway to call him back, already walking back to begin cleaning up.

“Kara, it was a joke. Really, you’ve already done more than enough.” Cat protested.  It was one thing to demand perfection during work hours, but Kara had spent nearly half her nights in the past two weeks camped out with Cat’s son, helping him design the perfect set for his school’s charity production of “A Christmas Carol”.

Carter had been so proud of himself when he was selected as the set designer, he’d been nervous for weeks that they would give him a speaking role, the school’s inclusiveness policy not caring that he’d rather be a literal spirt of Christmas than to have to say even two words in front of a room of strangers.

Cat had mentioned if offhandedly as she and Kara passed in the office, asking if Kara could remember the name of the guy they’d hired to decorate for last year’s CatCo Christmas party. Kara had balked at her and all but demanded that she help Carter instead, insisting that no-one with frosted tips and a petulance for white Christmas trees should be allowed to infringe on Carter’s vision.

Which is how she’d ended up with her most tolerable junior reporter standing, sock-clad, in her dining room, calling her son back to clean up after himself.

“Sorry, Mom!” Carter slid past her taking direction from Kara to put their mess away. “I was just sending Kara’s sketches over to Ms. Rathburn. She’s impressed by the way,” he turned his attention to Kara, “she wanted to know a little bit more about that interlocking slat system but otherwise, she thinks we’re all set.”

“I’ll talk to Alex – my sister,” Kara adds, looking at Cat, as though Cat doesn’t still have a binder with every notable fact about Kara Danvers – including all known relatives, human or otherwise – stashed away in the bottom drawer of her desk, “I think she still has the specs for the set we designed in high school, my foster mom says they still use them to this day.”

“Kara and her sister designed every set for their high school productions, even after Alex went away to college.” Carter explained for Cat. “They’re pretty much legends in the Midvale Drama Department.”

“Is that so?” Cat turned to Kara who was hopelessly blushing.

“Alex and I make a pretty good team.” She said, sweeping the last of their supplies up and handing them to Carter to put away. “I think that’s it, Carter. We can finalize everything on Friday, and I’ll send your mom the specs from Alex.”

“And then we build it?” Carter asked, bouncing on the balls of his feet in excitement.

“And then we build it.” Kara confirmed. “Alex and James will probably tag along to help, and Winn mentioned taking a look at the lighting design as well.”

“Awesome!” Carter bounded over and gave Kara a quick hug before starting to walk backwards toward his room. “Mom, I’m going to go send Carter the designs, and then I’ll get ready for bed. G’night, Kara.”

“Goodnight, Carter.” Kara waved as he bounded down the hall.

“You do know that the school’s carpentry teacher usually builds the set, and I’m sure your sister and Mr. Olsen have better things to do...Winslow, not so much.” Cat walked back to the living room and took a seat on one of sofas, trusting that Kara would follow her.

“Nah, it’s good, Alex doesn’t trust anyone else with her specs, and since neither of us are going to make it back to Midvale this year, it will be nice to be able to do this for Christmas. Eliza even mentioned coming up to see it, if she has time.” Kara sat next to Cat, pulling one leg up under her so they could face each other.

“So, this has become a family affair for the Danvers, huh?” Cat said it teasingly, but she couldn’t say that she wasn’t genuinely curious why Kara had become so personally invested in all of this.

“It’s important to me so it’s important to them.” Kara shrugged, like it was obvious.

“And why is that?” Cat asked.

“Why is what?” Kara responded absentmindedly, pulling a throw pillow into her lap and hugging it close.

“Why is it important to you?”

“Because you’re important to me, and Carter is important to me, and if I can help you, then I want to.” Kara shrugged again, but this time there was something more and Cat could tell she was trying to be blasé about the entire situation. Kara Danvers was good at many things, but deflection was not one of them.

Cat stayed silent just taking a minute to study Kara’s face, “No.” She says after a minute.

“No?” Kara looks confused now.

“That’s not it. It’s some of it, but there’s more.” Cat draws out, trying to follow the lines in Kara’s face as though they’ll lead her to a better answer.

“Cat, I don’t know-”

“Why are you here, Kara?” And suddenly, nothing seems more important than knowing. It had been at the edge of Cat’s consciousness for two weeks now, why her former assistant turned most promising junior reporter would devote so much of her time to Carter and ergo Cat. Kara wasn’t the type to file it away for a favor later, that much she’d proved in the past, and it was no longer part of her duties as Cat’s assistant. Even Eve, who’d become a surprisingly good assistant in the past few months, hadn’t put in this many hours for Cat, since her first month.

“We’re friends, people do nice things for their friends, Cat.” Kara squeezed the pillow in her lap a little tighter, and if Cat weren’t so preoccupied she’d worry it was about to burst.

Cat just hummed, tapping her fingers on her leg, trying to work out the rest of the puzzle.

“I guess, I just miss you, maybe.” Kara said after another minute, and Cat had almost forgotten how much her silence always seemed to make Kara nervous.

“We work 500 feet apart. I see you every day.”

“Yeah, but it’s not the way it used to be, now you have Eve.” Kara’s eyes actually roll at that, and she begins to tug at the hem of her shirt, and it suddenly dawns on Cat, Kara’s behavior these past few months comes into focus; not just helping Carter but so much else. The way she’d walk by Cat’s office a few times a day with made up excuses, for being there, usually under the pretense of helping Eve as she settled into being Cat’s assistant.

“You’re jealous.”

“No I-”

“You are, I don’t understand why yet, but you are.” Cat continued to search Kara’s face as Kara floundered in front of her.

“Why would you be jealous of Eve, she’s not as incompetent as I initially expected but I hardly even tolerate the girl. And you,” Cat waved a hand in Kara’s direction, “I gave you everything, whatever you wanted, a job, an office - hell, I hired Snapper Carr just for you.”

“Snapper is hardly a gift to anyone, Cat.” Kara snorted.

“True,” Cat shrugged, “but he’s the best mentor you’ll ever have, despite his prick…liness.”

“He’s not you.” Kara argued.

“Nobody is me, darling.”

Kara just shook her head, almost looking disappointed that Cat wasn’t understanding better.

“I’m not a mind reader, Kara. If you have something to say, say it.” Cat demanded.

“I just – I miss you!” Kara repeated. “Before you promoted me, I just, I thought we were going somewhere. We were friends or as close to it as we’d ever been. And I know you’re my boss, I know that there are boundaries, but I thought-” Kara stops herself and for a moment Cat thinks she might bolt, but she stays rooted to the spot, desperately avoiding Cat’s eyes. “You stopped talking to me, except about numbers for tacky decorators or to remember the name of that restaurant you liked that one time so Eve can place a lunch order. Even when _She_ visits, you’re all business now.”

“You don’t need me anymore, Kara.” Cat didn’t understand why Kara was so upset, she’d done everything she could for Kara, even though it came at a disservice to her.

“Of course, I need you, and I _want_ you. You’re my-” She doesn’t say friend again. “You’re important to me. You’re – I thought we were on the same page. You’re important.” She lays her hand over Cat’s and begins to speak again only to stop herself.

Cat looks down at their hands, and replays Kara’s words in her head, her eyes snap up to Kara’s a second later, and she sees everything she needs to confirm her suspicion, and she’d known what she was feeling for months, since Adam at the very least. It had been part of her decision to let Kara go, she’d realized that she’d been holding her back for her own reasons, selfishly, and she didn’t want to do that to somebody she cared about so much, she just never thought Kara held anything more, that hero worship for her.

“Okay.” Cat flips her hand over and joins their fingers together, giving Kara’s a squeeze. “You’re important to me too, Kara.” She says hoping Kara understands everything else she’s not saying. She’s not sure either of them are ready for more than that, but she needs Kara to know that she’s not alone in this, and that they’d just missed each other along the way.

“Okay.” Kara nods, her thumb running over Cat’s.

“Maybe,” Cat starts, keeping her tone light, “after Carter’s production, we could take a walk, get some dinner? He already has plans with some friends, the post production party. It’d be nice to have the company.”

Kara beams, “I think that would be really nice.”

Cat smiles back, giving Kara’s hand one more squeeze before pulling away and standing up, “I should go tuck Carter in.”

“Of course.” Kara stands after her, heading toward the foyer to put her shoes on.

“We’ll see you on Friday, though?” Cat asks, already knowing the answer.

“Yes, Friday.” Kara confirms.

“Goodnight, Kara.” Cat leans against the doorway.

“Goodnight, Cat.” Kara watches her for a moment longer before turning and letting herself out.

“Took you guys long enough, I thought I’d have to keep finding excuses for her to come over until I was in college.” Carter’s voice breaks her train of thought. “IF you need help planning the date, let me know, I’m kind of an expert, you know.”

Cat’s eyes snap to him, but he just flashes her a smile before heading back the way he came, and she can’t help but chuckle as she chases after him.


End file.
